Thursday, November 29, 2012

On
Thursday 29 November 2012, Israeli naval vessels patrolling the Gaza
sea opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast opposite Al
Waha resort, northwest of Beit Lahiya, North Gaza. According to Al
Mezan’s field investigation, the IOF ships surrounded one Palestinian
fishing boat, opened fire at it, before they forced six fishermen to
take off their clothes and swim towards them. Al Mezan has identified
the names of fishermen as follows:

Ihab Jawad Baker, 36;

Mohammed Ziyad Baker, 32;

Ali Alaa’ Baker, 18;

Fahed Ziyad Baker, 38;

His sons Ziyad, 18; and Na’em 16.

Two
hours later, the IOF released all detained fishermen and returned their
boat to them after they had been damaged. In their affidavits to Al
Mezan, fishermen in the area who witnessed the incident stated that the
arrested fishermen were still within six nautical miles’ distance which
they have been allowed to fish in following the last ceasefire
agreement.

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained nine fishermen off Gaza's north coast on Wednesday, a local official said.

The
head of Gaza's fishing association, Mahfouth al-Kabriti, told Ma'an
that Israel's navy opened fire at two Palestinian fishing boats six
miles off the coast.

The navy then seized both boats and detained
nine fishermen, al-Kabriti added. The boats belong to Murad al-Hassi
and the Baker family.

An Israeli army spokesman said that two
fishing boats deviated from the designated fishing area and after
failing to respond to calls to stop, were apprehended by Israel's navy.

The passengers were taken for questioning in the Israeli city of Ashdod, he added.

As
part of a ceasefire to end Israel's recent eight-day war on Gaza,
Israel agreed to allow fishermen to sail six nautical miles off the
coast of Gaza instead of three, which had been the limit under Israel's
siege

In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile
fishing zone off Gaza's coast but it has imposed a 3-mile limit for
several years, opening fire at fishermen who strayed further.

Israel
has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967,
and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) –
Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian officials representing the Hamas-run
government in Gaza will meet next Monday in Cairo to discuss the
aftermath of the ceasefire agreement.

The Office of Gaza Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh said he was informed by the director of Egyptian
intelligence that Israel agreed to allow Gaza fishermen to go six
nautical miles off the coast of Gaza instead of three, which has been
the limit under Israel's siege.

"Israel has allowed Palestinian
fishermen to fish in Gaza's waters at a distance of six miles, up from
three miles," Haniyeh's office said.

Israel had no immediate comment.

Murad
al-Issi, a member of a local fishermens' group, told Reuters his
colleagues had already ventured out to the six-mile limit on Saturday,
undisturbed by Israel.

"The Israeli army naval boat which used to
fire and torch Palestinian boats that sailed beyond a three-mile
distance watched without doing anything to prevent them," Issi said.

Palestinians say the Israeli restrictions had hampered the amount and variety of fish they could catch.

"This is a good step," Issi said, adding it would be best to be permitted double the distance.

In
another apparent Israeli step to ease restrictions, Palestinian farmers
tended land along the frontier with Israel without incident, a day
after Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man at a border fence.

Gaza
security officials were on patrol and Israeli soldiers looked on
without interfering, but for a brief verbal exchange between one soldier
and a Hamas guard, witnesses said.

Palestinians denounced Friday's shooting as a violation of the ceasefire and Egypt intervened to restore calm.

Haniyeh's office said in a statement that the border zone would also be addressed in Monday's meeting, among other things.

Israeli
and Palestinian negotiators agreed on a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone
off Gaza's coast under the Oslo Accords, but Israel unilaterally imposes
a 3-mile limit.

Israeli warships frequently open fire at boats that allegedly stray from the permitted area.

Israel
has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967,
and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) documented 11 attacks launched by
the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) against Palestinian fishermen during the
reporting period (01– 31 October 2012),[1]
including incidents in which the IOF fired at fishermen and fishing boats and
chased them, as a result of which 8 fishermen were arrested while fishing
approximately 2 nautical miles[2]
off the shore of Beit Lahia in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. In addition, 2 fishing boats belonging to
Palestinian fishermen were confiscated.

Violation
of the Right to Life and Security of Person

Israel’s
attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip constitutes a flagrant
violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, especially the
right to life and security of the person, in accordance with Article 3 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the State of Israel is a
party. The IOF perpetrated violations against Palestinian fishermen in
the sea when these fishermen did not pose any threat to Israeli naval
troops. The fishermen were practicing their right to work and seeking
their livelihood within the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip when the IOF
attacked them.

First:
Firing at Fishing Boats in the Gaza Strip Waters

During the reporting period, PCHR documented 11
cases in which the IOF fired[3]
at Palestinian fishermen in the sea off the Gaza shore, though no injuries were
reported. These attacks took place within the 3 nautical miles allowed
for fishermen to sail and fish in. PCHR also noticed that these firing
incidents against fishermen and their boats took place while fishermen were
seeking their livelihood, and in the context of imposing more restrictions to
terrify and prevent the fishermen from practicing their work freely.

Second:
Arresting Fishermen and Confiscating Fishing Boats

During the reporting period, PCHR documented
incidents in which the IOF arrested 8 Palestinian fishermen, and confiscated 2
fishing boats and equipment.

Arresting Fishermen

During the reporting period, the IOF arrested 8
fishermen while they were carrying out their work 2 nautical miles offshore:

-At
approximately 8:10 on Sunday, 07 October 2012, Israeli Naval Forces positioned
off al-Waha resort northwest of Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza
Strip, arrested 4 fishermen while they were fishing 2.5 nautical miles off the
shore. The fishermen were identified as: Majed Fadel Baker (51), and his three
sons Imran Majed Baker (27), Fadi Majed Baker (26) and Mohammad Majed
Baker (20). The 4 fishermen were
released at approximately 16:00 on the same day at the Beit Hanoun Crossing
(Erez), after being questioned.

-At
approximately 10:00 on Monday, 22 October 2012, Israeli naval forces positioned
off Al-Waha resort northwest of Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza
Strip, chased and arrested 4 fishermen while they were fishing 2 nautical miles
offshore. The arrested men were identified as: Ramez Izat Baker
(41), Khamis Sobhi Baker (43), Arafat Mohammad Baker (20) and Bayan Khamis
Baker (17).

Confiscation of Fishing Boats

PCHR has followed up on Israel’s violations
against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea, particularly the
confiscation of fishing boats. During the reporting period, the IOF confiscated
2 fishing boats:

-On Sunday, 07
October 2012, Israeli Naval Forces chased and confiscated a fishing boat
belonging to Majed Fadel Baker (51), a Palestinian fisherman from Gaza, while
sailing approximately 2 nautical miles off the shore of Beit Lahia in the northern
part of the Gaza Strip.

-On Monday, 22
October 2012, Israeli Naval Forces chased and confiscated a fishing boat
belonging to Ramez Izat Baker (41), a Palestinian fisherman from Gaza, while
sailing 2 nautical miles offshore, opposite to the Beit Lahia seashore in the
northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Table of Israeli Attacks on
Palestinian Fishermen in the Gaza Sea

(01 October – 31 October 2012)

Month

Firing

Killed Persons

Injuries

Arrest Incidents

Number of Detainees

Confiscation of Fishing Boats

October

11

-

-

2

8

2

[1]This fact sheet issued by PCHR is the tenth of its
kind. It addresses violations carried out by the IOF against Palestinian
fishermen in the Gaza Strip while practicing their work. For more
details, see Fact Sheets at: www.pchrgaza.org.

[2] During the reporting period, PCHR
documentedthe interception by Israeli naval forces of the Swedish
ship, the ‘Estelle,’ which was carrying 30 international activists to the Gaza
Strip under the auspices of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. For more information, see
PCHR’s press release on 22 October 2012.

[3]This includes firing at a fishing boat boarding 3
international activists. For more
information, see PCHR’s press release on 05 November 2012.

Monday, November 5, 2012

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns IOF’s
assault on a fishing boat boarded by Palestinian fishermen and international
solidarity activists who were aiming to lift the siege by crossing the IOF
imposed 3 nautical-mile limit on Palestinian fishermen since the past six
years.

PCHR calls upon the international community to pressurize Israel to
stop its continuous violations against Palestinian fishermen and the international
activists in Gaza Sea and put an end to the illegal siege which has disastrous
impacts on the fishermen such as their income decreasing by 85% because of the
restricted fishing area. PCHR highly appreciates the brave decision of the
solidarity activists to lift the illegal siege imposed on Gaza Sea which deprives
Palestinian fishermen of their sole source of income.

At approximately 08:00 hrs on Sunday, 04 November 2012, a Palestinian
fishing boat boarding five local fishermen and three international activists,
identified as: Mano Pinida (Spanish), Rosa Schiano (Italian) and Sarah Kats
(French), sailed off from the Gaza seaport. At approximately 09:30 hrs an IOF
gunboat attacked the fishing boat with water cannons for approximately 45
minutes. As a result, the fishermen and activists were forced to move southward
towards the al-Nussairat shore, in the center of Gaza Strip. At approximately 12:30
hrs, the Israeli gunboat attacked the Palestinian fishing boat again with water
cannons for approximately 15 minutes. As a result the activists' cameras got
damaged.

It should be noted that Israeli forces illegally reduced the area
of fishing gradually from 20 nautical miles, which was established under the
Oslo Accords, to 10 nautical miles in 2005. In June 2006, IOF imposed a total
siege for months, and opened it later permitting fishermen to fish within a
6-nautical-mile limit, which was then reduced to 3 nautical miles in 2007.
However, Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinian fishermen even within
the 3 nautical miles since 2009. Fishermen are subjected to shootings,
resulting in deaths and injuries, they are often chased, arrested, unnecessarily
inspected, humiliated, and even their boats and fishing equipment are
confiscated, which are sometimes drowned or destroyed by IOF.

1-Calls
upon the international community to pressurize Israel to stop its policy of
closure, including the siege, imposed on the Gaza Strip for the past 6 years,
and calls upon Israel to immediately stop its policy of chasing and arresting
Palestinian fishermen, and to allow them to sail and fish freely;

2-Calls for compensating
the victims for the physical and material damage caused to their person and
property;

3-Expresses
the Palestinian people’s high appreciation for the international solidarity
activists and their determination to break the Israeli collective punishment
measures imposed on Palestinian civilians, including the Palestinian fishermen
in the Gaza Strip, which violate the international humanitarian law and
international human rights law.

GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli navy boats opened
heavy fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coasts of Gaza and
Rafah cities at dawn Monday, Quds Press reported.It said that the fishermen abandoned their boats and returned back to the shore without finishing their work.The Israeli navy had tightened its
restrictions on Palestinian fishermen since 2000 and by 2009 the navy
deprived fishermen from their right to fish more than three nautical
miles off the Gaza Strip’s coast while the Oslo accords allowed them
fishing up to 20 nautical miles.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli navy forces
kidnapped a Palestinian fisherman after attacking his boat off the coast
of Gaza at dawn Saturday, local sources said.Sources in the fishermen syndicate told the
PIC that Israeli gunboats fired at and chased Palestinian fishing boats
off the coast of Gaza.They said that the gunboats kidnapped a fisherman on board one of those fishing boats after controlling it.The Israeli navy systematically targets
Palestinian fishermen while working at sea. The navy often fires at the
fishing boats, confiscate them, and arrest those on board.